If She Does Indeed Shine
by rueprimgaleANDfang
Summary: Inspired by the movie quote "Let's see if she does indeed shine...Glimmer!" at the interviews. Glimmer has worked hard to become a tribute, but will it be enough to make her district proud? Mostly based off the books. Three-shot. T because it's The Hunger Games.
1. Chapter 1

**This is going to be a three-shot about Glimmer. I loved the interview quote so much that I had to write about it. I'm thinking a chapter for the Reaping, one for the Interviews, and one for the Games, which will be really long. Read and tell me what you think?**

"Are you ready, Glimmer?" Opal's eyes are staring into mine.

I nod. Of course I'm ready. This is what I've been waiting for my whole life. Nobody to take my spotlight, no siblings to wail and scream as if they don't know how much of an honor this will be.

My trainer looks pleased. "Then go on home and get ready. They have to be able to see that you're the tribute before you become one."

I wave goodbye to Opal with a smile, then slide across the smooth seats of Dad's new car. He's not driving it; he'll be testing massage chairs for another week, but the chauffeur is a nice guy named Muse. Muse hands me my favorite sparkling water and I drink it in silence, planning my reaping outfit. If I wear the pink dress, I have to order some new shoes because there's no way my black ones match. Do I need makeup? Not too much, I need to look deadly and beautiful. Like a stiletto.

Nobody's home when Muse drops me off, so I press my fingers to the door and wait for the cheerful melody of its unlocking. "Welcome!" chimes the door, bringing a smile to my face. Everything sounds even happier on reaping day.

I spend an hour picking out a dress, but eventually I decide none of them are good enough. On the big screen that Daddy just had installed in my closet, I design my new dress, adding sparkles and ruffles exactly where they need to be, and wait while it's brought to life and dropped gently into my hands. Perfect.

The reaping starts very early in One, which I've never understood. We should be able to get our sleep while the districts that are up at dawn to work anyway are reaped at eight in the morning. Plus, my training session had to start at five! Now it's about seven, and I'm thinking I should still be asleep.

Where is the reaping going to be? I pull out my CapiNet, which is short for Capitol Internet. I don't know what Internet is, just that's it's something from before the Dark Days and it did things sort of like the CapiNet. A small green star lights up the north part of the square. It's the side farthest from here, so I should start walking now if I want to be in the roped area. Some idiots can't even be bothered to volunteer, so they stand to the sides to give the cameras a better view of the real competitors.

My finger pricked, I stand in the roped-off area for my age. I'm not even eighteen, but I get to volunteer, because the girl who was supposed to ended up having a son. Opal will be so proud to watch me fight. Maybe I'll try out a bow and arrow.

I watch, bored, while they play a video and the escort, in a very fashionable orange dress, goes on for a while about something I don't care about. And then it's time. My turn.

"Ladies first!" The escort introduces herself as Emer Spring—she's new this year—and then she crosses to the girls' names and pulls one. Of course, only the girls who have been training are even included, with the exception of a few younger ones to make it seem fair and those who actually have to take tesserae, which are not many.

She calls out the name of some fourteen-year-old I've never met nor heard of, some tiny little thing with straight brown hair and a shy appearance. She must be one of the random names placed in the bowl. There's a lapse in excitement as the girl is introduced, because everyone knows she will not be going into the Games. I will.

"Any volunteers?" Most of the girls know better than to raise their hands, because I've been selected and presented to them all already. But some are daring, or just want to be on camera like me, and try to volunteer. Yeah, right.

I set my green eyes on anyone who tries to put their hand up and walk confidently to the aisle. "I volunteer."

"Well, well! Come on up, dear!" calls Emer. I follow her to the stage, trying to keep a winning smile and smoothing my fishtailed hair so it falls neatly around my shoulders.

"What's your name?" Emer asks, and there's a long process of finding out my information and even a few clips of my training to demonstrate my talent. Then a series of headshots that a prestigious photographer did for a very low price when it was announced that I would be tribute. I look amazing in every one.

The whole thing repeats itself as a boy's name is drawn, this time a very attractive 18-year-old. Is he the one who's supposed to participate? No, he can't be. It's Marvel's year. I remember his proud grin as they presented him as tribute last week.

Sure enough, Marvel quickly replaces the boy. I only know him because he's in my year of training, and as the two best of our age, we were paired up often. He's an idiot, but strong and confident. Good for making alliances with others, because he's less intimidating. I quickly assess the boy who I am to spend the next few weeks with. He's not extraordinarily good-looking, not enough for sponsors to immediately bet on him. Not too muscled, but not weak. He seems friendly enough, even if I know he's not the brightest by far. I can make this work.

We shake hands. In the Career districts, where the tributes are honored and not pitied, there's a short presentation in addition to the abridged Treaty of Treason, which the outcast districts are required to hear in full.

Marvel and I stand side by side with our mentors, Cashmere and Gloss, two siblings who won the 69th and 70th Games. It consists of pictures, some training clips, advice to younger future tributes, and a pleasant voice telling what an honor this is for us. Then the screen fades and they call our names out once again.

"This year's District One tributes, Glimmer Alexandrite and Marvel Thomson!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's Chapter Two! This is up to the Launch Room, and then will be the Games. I realize it's not the most exciting chapter, but I needed something to happen between Glimmer's interview and the Games, so bear with me. I promise the last chapter will be really cool. **

**Also I want to thank all the people who Favorited/put this on Story Alert/reviewed this! (And those who were amazing enough to add me to Favorite Authors, that means a lot.) I love knowing that someone's reading my work, and I try to respond to reviews. **

**Disclaimer: If I owned The Hunger Games, I would not have to write fanfiction, would I?**

"Let's see if she does indeed shine….Glimmer!" Caesar Flickerman shouts.

I smile and walk to my chair, making sure my skirt stays above mid-thigh the whole time. I love my dress; shimmery gold fabric with a puffy skirt that bounces with every step.

Caesar asks me if I'm ready for the Games; I nod and tell him I'm very ready. This is not entirely true, because my training score was the lowest of the Careers and I haven't gotten good at using a manual bow-and-arrow. At home we have the kind that position and aim themselves, and all I need to do it press the switch that send the arrow flying. This is called an unfair advantage to One and Two, because we're in charge of luxury items and weapons, so only we really have access to such weapons. Maybe Three- technology, or Four, if they can afford it, but never the outcast districts.

The Capitol interviews are always perfect, with the right questions to win sponsors already picked out. Mine focus mainly on my district and what advantages I'll have in the arena. And, of course, my appearance. Caesar focuses on this for almost a minute of the three I have, and people go crazy. They all think I'm beautiful.

Then my interview is over and Marvel, with his dumb grin, takes his place on the chair. His blue suit looks childish compared to my mature dress, but his angle is different than mine, I suppose. Marvel could never pull off sexy.

As Marvel responds almost eagerly to his questions, I think back on how my interview went. I don't think anything went wrong, and I must have looked great if all of the audience was cheering. My mind keeps returning to the sentence Caesar Flickerman started with: "Let's see if she does indeed shine…" I decide I like this phrase a lot. Of course I shine. My name, my looks, my skills, they all shine. And I will outshine every other tribute in the arena this year.

Atala warned us in training that most of the tributes will die of natural causes. I can't even imagine what a pathetic death that would be. Having so few sponsors that you can't even get some water, or a blanket, or some matches? I'll probably have enough to build my own mansion in the middle of the arena. The Careers combined should, anyway.

I glance up and see the very attractive boy from Two walking up to greet Caesar. His name is Cato, and he's absolutely gorgeous. I can't help imagining how we would look together, and if maybe we'd pull more sponsors if we acted like we were in love or something. It would give me an excuse to stare. I know I shouldn't be thinking like this, the night before the Games when my mind should be on living and fighting and shining.

Cato's interview seems to go by too fast, and then I stop paying attention completely until the tiny girl from Eleven is up. I think her name's Rue. She's very small and seems clever enough to get past the bloodbath. She claims to be fast and good at climbing. Exactly the kind of tribute a bow and arrow should be able to finish off. If only I could figure out how to use the darn thing.

Then comes the girl from Twelve, the one with the eleven in training. I hate her, even if I don't think she's a threat. Especially not after she gets up and twirls, giggling, for the audience. I can see the girl from Two, Clove, making a disgusted face behind the stage. If she were from my district, the Fire Girl's behavior would be admired. But from the coal district? No way. And even more surprisingly, the boy from her district announces he's in love with her. I want to laugh. He looks so serious saying it, and she's caught blushing on camera. Does she really believe it? Even I can see right through it, and I just had a similar idea for myself and Cato. It's an act. Girl on Fire is obviously pretty simpleminded.

That night, trying to fall asleep, I keep seeing the interviews in my head. My golden dress floating around my legs, Marvel's loud grin, Cato's handsomeness, Rue's earnest face, Twelve twirling, and Lover Boy sniffing Caesar. I've got to have outshined them. Glimmer. Even my name makes me shine. As I finally drift into sleep, I think of how pretty the Victor's Crown will look with my blonde hair. How proud my family will be, how many younger kids will look up to me, how people will cheer on my Victory Tour. Tomorrow is my chance to make an impression, not on the Capitol, but on the citizens of Panem. They need to believe in me too.

"Up, up, up!" Emer Spring is shaking my arm, pushing some bags into my hand, and sending me out the door to where a hovercraft waits. My stylist, a middle-aged woman named Rhea, talks with me about the clothes I'm going to wear in the arena as she unpacks them.

"This is a heat-retaining jacket, so you can be expecting it to get cold. We'll need to do your hair so it won't get caught in the hood, so let's do it like you had it at the reaping. Then you can put these boots on…" I obey her instruction and admire myself in the mirror when I'm done. I look attractive, but dangerous and almost threatening at the same time. Rhea claps her hands.

"Perfect! Amazing! Let's get you to the hovercraft so they can put a tracker in you, and I'll be waiting in the Launch Room. Cashmere will be bringing you to the Launch Room."

I say a quick good-bye to Cashmere and Emer, telling them I'll be back soon. Both of them smile and wish me luck, but I see them meet each others' eyes when I start to turn around. Maybe not everyone believes that I do indeed shine, like Caesar Flickerman. I'll show them. I'll show each and every one of them. I am Glimmer, and I do shine.

**I swear I used the word "Shine" like twenty times in this chapter. Oh, only nine times. Right. **

**Reviews get virtual cookies! Also know that on Wednesday I'm going on vacation for nine days, and the rainforest does not have Wi-fi (I'm devastated), so if I don't update before that, Chapter Three will be uploaded sometime next week.**


	3. Chapter 3

**So, after three (or is it four?) months, I finally remembered to write this! Just for everyone's information, I do not support Glimmer/Cato but what's here was necessary for writing about Glimmer. It's short, but I liked how it turned out. Hope you do too. **

"Not if I get her first!"

Fire Girl runs like she thinks she has a chance of getting away. She must know that she's no match for the Careers, even with her eleven. We'll get her. I'll get her.

Clove is the only one not whooping and yelling with us—and Lover Boy, but he hardly counts as a Career. Besides, Cato seems to like Clove better than me. I can't stand being second. Or third, or fourth…

I concentrate on running after Twelve for a while, but she climbs a tree. Cato tries to climb up but he's too strong and the branch breaks. He waves his sword threateningly, but Twelve is really good at hiding how scared she is, because she calls down, "Maybe you should throw the sword!"

"Here, Cato, take my bow," I offer, putting on my best smile. Cato glances at me.

"No, I'll do better with my sword."

Marvel and Clove are silent, and I think Lover Boy is trying to think of a way to get her to come down. Then we can kill him. Finally! Honestly, he's so useless. I'm surprised Cato even keeps him around. It's not like he's been any use, either. I bet we could have found Everdeen on our own.

Then I remember I have a weapon, and if Cato doesn't want it, then I can use it. I aim the bow and arrow at Twelve, but something goes wrong and it lands a few feet above her. With the automatic bow at home, I have perfect aim! How different can it be? I should have practiced with a sword or something. Or maybe knives like Clove. Then Cato would pay more attention to me.

"Just leave her. She has to come down sometime," Lover Boy says. There's no other choice, so we agree.

"Someone keep watch," Cato orders, stomping away. I want to follow him, but Clove does first. I can't stand her. How can such a little girl think so much of herself? She's good with those knives, though.

Slowly, it gets dark and the anthem plays. There are no faces tonight, but I'm not really watching anyway. I'm more focused on Cato placing the end of his sword in the fire and admiring it as he removes it. He's so strong and handsome and intimidating…so perfect. I wish there was nobody else here, that it could be just the two of us hunting down weak outer-district tributes.

"Oh, please," I smile, putting a hand on his arm. Cato smirks at me. Next to us, Clove spears a lizard with a knife. Ha. She must be jealous. Marvel is just staring off into the forest.

We order Lover Boy to keep first watch. He sits up against a tree. I lie down next to Cato, my head against his arm. If I'm going to sleep on the ground, it may as well be with an attractive guy next to me. Plus, fewer leaves in my hair this way. Somehow it's stayed pretty and neat this whole time. Images of messed-up hairstyles float through my dreams.

When I wake up, it's so panicked screams and an unmistakable buzzing sound. Bees? All I know is it's not something we're trained for in District One. I shriek and try to get up, but it's too late. The tracker jackers—I can hear someone yelling their name—surround me and I feel stings all over my body. It's unbearable. I fall back to the ground and wonder when Cato is going to come save me. He never does. Instead, he stays just behind Clove. That little—

I feel ashamed that the last thoughts I'm aware of are jealousy towards Clove. But what else can I feel at this point?

And then come the hallucinations. The reaping, my hands turning to mud, long streaks of smeared makeup everywhere, my outfit becoming a tattered and torn dress, my bow and arrow falling from my hands and leaving me weaponless. Cato leaving me alone to help Clove. My trainer yelling at me to either get good at something or give up on being tribute. People refusing to cheer when I volunteered. Not getting any sponsors. Caesar not liking me. Losing the Games. Fire Girl's obviously synthetic little flames engulf me, and slowly burns the world to black.

**Review and tell me what you thought? And maybe some one- or two-shot ideas for The Hunger Games? (Preferably not romance as I suck at that).**


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